Difference between Drawing from Photo Reference vs Real Life

[@ninovv]

Plus there is also what you train your eye to see, especially when it comes to size and angle references and comparisons. Drawing from a photo I tend to use the "frame" as my size and angle reference where when drawing from real life you can't do that. Which makes it quite difficult to then start learning to draw from life because you almost have to start over again.

[@starbug1898]

Tear up the edges of a photo? Maybe that’ll help be less dependent on the edges while use the photo as a tool

[@casey-zd5mj]

Eh the distortion part is a little wonky. if you put your hand up against a mirror you're still 2-3 feet away from your eye(lower levels of foreshortening). Put your hand close to your face to seethe foreshortening affect in real life and pull it away, you'll see the same affect your saw with the camera lens. My hand is 3 times as small when it is stretched out infront of me opposed to close to my face.

[@lylyforest1424]

Well now I've got to start leaving my house to draw. Thank you for the information I hadn't paid attention to these things :)

[@teohyc]

+Lyly Forest Not many are aware of these things :-) Drawing outdoors is nice. You get to feel the presence of being there, if you know what I mean. hahaha

[@VirtualizedRachel]

Great video! I remember always being told to draw from real life more than through photo references and now I understand why. I'm not sure if it's because I draw from a photo often but I actually like how the distortion looks sometimes haha

[@teohyc]

+RachelA. To some, distortion is called style. Haha. You see that a lot in Japanese anime and Manga, but they use it to great effect

[@SharonNolfi]

I think you're right about the distortion, but how does the amount of distortion caused by camera lens compare to normal foreshortening? A hand held out closer to the viewer will normally look somewhat bigger than it will when held next to the face. Am I right that the wide angle lens exaggerates this effect even more? I'm going to draw more from life!

[@teohyc]

+Sharon Nolfi A wide angle lens will exaggerate the effect even more. To reduce distortion try to shoot by zooming in instead of using wide angle. If you cannot zoom in, such as using a camera phone, stand further away from your subject to shoot and try not to place your subject at the edges of the frames. There's distortion close to the frame edges also, which is why some wide angle lens shot of group photos will have stretched faces near the frame edges.

[@SharonNolfi]

+Teoh Yi Chie Thanks!

[@corikay]

Wow! Great observations that I would have missed! Thanks for sharing!

[@teohyc]

+corikay Thanks :-D

[@richiejourney1840]

I'm confused about the difference of objects further away appear to be smaller and the closer they are to be larger if this is a "distortion" issue of the camera. They are smaller and larger in view respectively without the camera and is a basic rule in perspective. Professionals use photos all the time. The difference is that the photo serves as a reference of the subject. Most of us can not draw the things that we like from real life since we can not have a live model of our subjects at all times and thus imagination or photo reference must serve. Agreed that real life is better but what needs to be taught is HOW TO WORK FROM A PHOTO. Thanks. You have a great channel that I enjoy and learn from!

[@teohyc]

+Richie Journey A wide angle lens will exaggerate the distortion more. Naturally objects that are closer to the lens will be bigger. But with a wide angle lens, nearer objects will appear much bigger. If you use a longer lens, it is less so.

[@cutiepiedaina]

wow i didnt know that these distortions were so big! thanks again for another great video :)

[@teohyc]

+Daina Zhou Beginners usually don't know that distortion even exists because it's so subtle. I'll be creating another video on how to use photo reference properly taking into account of distortion.

[@SonoftheLivingGod7]

Did you make a video of it yet? Can you send me the link?

[@margp2841]

you explain things very clearly, thank u!

[@teohyc]

+Marg P Thanks :-D

[@lukeduker8411]

What do you think about 3d models?

[@higherground711]

It all makes a lot of sense when you explain it that way. Thanks. :-D

[@teohyc]

+James Barton Thanks 😊

[@bluovalgal]

I've also thought about taking a photo of something to try to sketch later at home. (I am a complete newbie.) Good to know that might not be a habit I should be forming. Looking forward to your next video, Teoh!

[@teohyc]

+blueovalgal I'll make a video on how to make proper photo reference. As mentioned in the video, I usually use photo reference for colour choices.

[@bluovalgal]

+Teoh Yi Chie , As a newbie, I would be embarrassed to try to sketch in public in case someone wanted to peek over my shoulder. At home with a photo, no one can see my sketch but me and my dog and cat. LOL

[@teohyc]

+blueovalgal When people peek over, just ignore them. If it's an artist, he/she would have been in your situation before. If it's not an artist, they won't be able to draw like you. LOL

[@bluovalgal]

+Teoh Yi Chie , LOL

[@lostgamer6757]

in real life also what is far its small and waht is close is big

[@smolson8471]

Thanks for the video! When it comes to drawing living objects it is harder to get them to stay still, especially you want them to do a more difficult position and if it’s not someone you hired. How do you rectify this kind of situation when you’re drawing with real life reference?

[@teohyc]

No easy answer. You just have to keep practicing. Then you will get the hang of it. The more you draw a particular subject, the more familiar you will be with it. So even if it moves, you should be able to "fill in the blanks" later on.

[@smolson8471]

Teoh Yi Chie Ok, thanks! Any tips at least?

[@LJP12330]

Super interesting thank youuu

[@teohyc]

+lura garcia Thanks :-P

[@RedRomance24]

wow, i didn't think of that. very mind blowing :)

[@teohyc]

+RedRomance24 Thanks 😜

[@adrianflores4036]

When starting a painting from the very beginning, would you recommend starting in pencil, then going over in a water proof ink pen, or just starting all together with the pen?

[@teohyc]

+Ace Flores For complicated scenes, I will use pencil to block out general shapes to make sure all the things I want will fit on the page. If you're really careful and slow, then you may not need pencil.

[@adrianflores4036]

+Teoh Yi Chie Awesome! thanks!

[@milagrobigio1765]

Great info

[@teohyc]

+Milagro Bigio Thanks \ (•◡•) /

[@KedharVishwanath]

Hi, what camera do you use for recording your videos, the clarity is really good.

[@teohyc]

+kedhar vishwanath.r.r It's a Panasonic GH4. Most of the Micro Four Thirds cameras from Panasonic have very good video quality.

[@KedharVishwanath]

+Teoh Yi Chie Hey, thanks a lot for the reply, I love watercolors and your videos are very informative. Great work. Thanks

[@thesameritan9844]

Hello Teoh!! I have one question regarding about artistic styles and so on. (Lol its not related to this vid but anyway) I am quite young and I started watercolors about a year ago. My style is heavily influenced by other artsits (I dont copy their work) So my question is.. Must I stop copying their style or go on and have fun?! --Thank you :-)

[@thesameritan9844]

What I just said didnt really make sense did it xD

[@teohyc]

+Samer Saboba Oh. It's okay to copy and learn from other artists but don't misrepresent your works as theirs. Actually you should learn from as many artists as possible, not just artists but you like. Because every artist has a different style, you can learn from all and evolve your own style.

[@thesameritan9844]

+Teoh Yi Chie Oh ok, thank you so much! I am 14 and gonna do my A Levels in Art and Design.. I love your channel!

[@teohyc]

+Samer Saboba The more you draw, the better you get. It's great that you start young because you have more years ahead to learn